Highlights from InsideCounsel's 13th annual conference for the in-house bar

One of my favorite times of year is mid-springwhen InsideCounsel hosts its annual SuperConference. The conference brings together in-house counsel and law firm lawyers alike to network, brainstorm and discuss best practices that make a successful legal department.

At press time, InsideCounsel had just completed its 13th annual SuperConference, and it was a great success. The event kicked off Day One with a keynote presentation from David Kappos, former head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and current partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Kappos gave the audience a detailed presentation about the America Invents Act, which overhauled the U.S. patent system as we know it. His presentation was followed up by two separate GC keynotes by Gregory Gallopoulos, GC of General Dynamics, discussing professionalism, and J. Weili Cheng, GC of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., discussing the challenges of doing business in a growing global economy.

Day Two also boasted some great opening keynotes—first, the annual judicial roundtable on e-discovery, and second, a Fortune 500 GC panel about the challenges they regularly face. The conference overall offered a variety of breakout sessions, allowing attendees to learn more about the challenges that legal departments are currently confronting. From best practices in social media and updates from the National Labor Relations Board to a series of legal department ethics sessions and a wide variety of e-discovery and other technology topics, attendees were treated to a breadth of information that spoke directly to their needs as in-house counsel.

In addition to the information conference attendees receive at SuperConference, they also have many opportunities to network during breaks between sessions, lunch and networking receptions. All around, it’s a great event for any lawyer working in a legal department. For more information about InsideCounsel’s 2013 SuperConference, got to our website or check out next month’s issue, in which we will offer highlights from the event.

And speaking of InsideCounsel events, our Transformative Leadership Awards West dinner is just around the corner. The event honors those in the legal community that have made efforts to advance the empowerment of women in the legal profession. InsideCounsel is still accepting nominations for TLA West. But hurry! The nomination process closes on June 30. The TLA West dinner will be held in San Francisco on Oct. 17.